Women's All-Ireland League Gets Underway

UL Bohemians will begin the defence of their Women's All-Ireland League Division 1 title at home to Highfield on Sunday, as a full programme of matches in the top flight and Division 2 North and South kickstarts the Women's club season into gear.

A star-studded UL Bohs team swept all before them last season, securing a Women's All-Ireland League and Cup double, and Joy Neville and company are likely to be the side to beat again this year.

In recent years their main rivals have been Blackrock, who were crowned champions in 2008.

Blackrock have strengthened their backroom team with the addition of forwards coach Keith Murphy, with Ireland international duo Tania Rosser and Amy Davis looking after the backs and conditioning aspects respectively.

'Rock start with a mouth-watering Leinster derby away to a Navan outfit that has been improving year on year.

Cooke, the only Ulster side in the top flight, face a long trip south to face Ballincollig, while Sunday's opening Division 1 fixtures are completed by the clash of Galwegians and Clonmel at Crowley Park.

Last year's reverse fixture in Clonmel saw 'Wegians suffer a narrow and controversial late defeat with the result that Sunday's encounter should prove to be a case of settling scores for Emer O'Dowd's side.

Women's rugby in Ireland is going from strength to strength with standards improving each year across all levels.

Figures in the IRFU's 2008/09 Annual Report show that there are now 2,491 women playing rugby in Ireland - up from 1,799 in 2008.

In his report, IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne gave some background to the developments made, on and off the pitch.

"In 2008, the Irish Women's Rugby Football Union integrated into the IRFU. The IRFU now represents both the male and female disciplines of the game," he wrote.

"The integration process, led by Denis Keohane, occurred a year ahead of schedule.

"An early sign of the benefits of integration was the success of the Irish national Women's team who, under the leadership of coach Steven Hennessy, finished third in the 2009 Women's Six Nations and automatically qualified for the 2010 Women's World Cup in England. This is the best ever result for the Women's team.

"The Women's game continues to grow in Ireland, and with the continued support of the Irish Sports Council's 'Women In Sport' programme, it is the Union's intention to increase the resources to this emerging area of the game.

"The growth of the Women's game creates a number of opportunities for the Union through opening up a new population of participants, increasing volunteerism and the vibrancy of our clubs."

We will have a full round-up from the opening weekend's games in the Women's All-Ireland League on the site on Monday.

Click here for full fixture lists for Women's All-Ireland League Division 1, Division 2 North and Division 2 South.

The countdown is on to the Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23. Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens & Women's Rugby, previews what promises to be an exciting couple of days.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Jenny Murphy talks about the progress made by the Ireland Women's Sevens team and their pool draw for the upcoming Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Conor Murray and Tommy Bowe speak to Irish Rugby TV about their Rugby World Cup preparations and thank the thousands of supporters who came out to see the players at the open training session at the Sportsground.

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell gives his verdict on the team's new Rugby World Cup jersey and talks about his move to French club Toulon. Ireland's RWC 2015 range is available to pre-order now from http://shop.irishrugby.ie.

Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens, talks about the target of a top three finish for both the Ireland Men and Women in Lisbon this weekend, as they continue on their quests for Olympic qualification.

Tom Daly, who recently captained the Ireland Men's Sevens team to the European Division C and B titles, is looking forward to playing in this weekend's Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ireland will host the 'Women's Sevens Dublin' at UCD on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tournament director Garrett Tubridy and Ireland stars Lucy Mulhall, Jenny Murphy and Louise Galvin speak about their excitement ahead of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier.

Coach Allen Clarke and stand-in captain Billy Holland answer questions from the media following Emerging Ireland's 45-12 victory over Georgia in the final round of their successful Tbilisi Cup campaign.

Emerging Ireland coach Allen Clarke speaks about his side's five-try 33-7 win over Uruguay in the Tbilisi Cup and the first half injury to captain Rhys Ruddock. They wrap up the tournament against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking about the floods that occurred following the Tbilisi Cup's first round, Emerging Ireland team manager Joey Miles said: "A natural event like that, a tragedy like that puts the game of rugby into perspective. We express our regrets to the Georgian people and the Georgian Union for the terrible tragedy that they had."

David O'Reilly from the IRFU Charitable Trust's Corporate Patrons Committee speaks about the new scheme which provides businesses with unique networking opportunities and provides a platform for companies to effectively activate their CSR programmes. For further information, please contact Linda Black of the Charitable Trust - telephone (01) 6473866 or email: linda.black@irfu.ie / http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/34728.php.